Developer anticipates shaving two months off construction schedule with SurePods™ modular bathrooms
Seattle’s construction and real estate market is hot, as evidenced by dozens of cranes throughout the downtown core in summer 2016, and the phenomenal office growth of companies like Amazon.com.
Seattle-based American Life, the developer of the Embassy Suites by Hilton – a 282-room, 23-story hotel – made the decision to use SurePods prefabricated bathroom units to shorten its construction schedule despite a tight local market for skilled labor. The Embassy Suites by Hilton will be Seattle’s first hospitality project to use SurePods.
American Life first used SurePods in a 23-story hotel in Los Angeles, which trimmed that project’s construction schedule by 8 weeks. The successful outcome of the LA Live Marriott Hotel has allowed American Life to confidently commit to similar schedule savings for the Seattle Embassy Suites by Hilton.
“The bathroom is the most complex part of a hotel room. You have many different trade professionals working in a small space, plus lots of materials having to go up the lift, to build them.” -Greg Steinhaeur, President of American Life
Poor bathroom workmanship is a chronic problem in the hotel construction industry. Bathroom rework accounts for over 60% of the punch-list. Bathroom quality problems cost hotel investors hundreds of thousands of dollars in finance fees and lost revenue when they cause projects to be late.
In contrast to traditional bathroom construction methods, SurePods consolidate more than 10 construction trades – including electrical, plumbing and finishing work – into one prefabricated product. The modular bathroom units are easy to lift, place and connect, which helps save project developers time and money, while improving bathroom quality for hotel owners and guests.
“We only see advantages to using SurePods, especially given Seattle’s tight construction labor market.” Greg Steinhaeur, President of American Life
SurePods pre-fabricated bathrooms are fully customizable and can be designed to complement any décor and impress even the most discerning hotel guest. “More than 20,000 SurePods factory built bathrooms have been installed throughout North America,” said Bill Seery, Director of Business Development for SurePods. “We work with extremely discerning customers and high-end hotels, for example, the 5-star Broadmoor Resort in Colorado Springs, Colorado.”
Adjacent to CenturyLink Field – home of the NFL Seattle Seahawks – the downtown Seattle Embassy Suites by Hilton Hotel anchors the east half of the Stadium Place Development, the largest transit-oriented development in the Northwest U.S.
Summary
Project: Seattle Embassy Suites by Hilton
Building Type: Luxury hotel
Developer: American Life(Seattle, Washington)
General Contractor: SODO Builders(Seattle, Washington)
Architect: Freiheit & Ho(Kirkland, Washington)
Project Status: Scheduled to open in summer 2017